Kirk LaPointe the CBC’s Ombudsman has just released a statement on his website saying that Kevin O’Leary indeed violated CBC Journalistic Standards. You can read the full statement here, my emphasis below. Of note, not only did O’Leary violate the policy, this violation should have been acknowledged to the audience:
Since my last post I have completed two reviews, one on difficult televised images and one on a name-calling incident…
The second review concerned remarks October 6 by co-host Kevin O’Leary on The Lang & O’Leary Exchange in an interview with journalist Chris Hedges.
I found the remarks violated CBC Journalistic Standards and Practices policy. While the program acted responsibly in quickly apologizing to Hedges, I concluded it would have better fulfilled the spirit of its policy by communicating its acknowledgment of error to the audience.
